Volumes have been set forth on this topic, and the bickering and discussion about where the "hot" slots are placed in the casino are still on-going – sixty years after slot machine games were first placed in the casinos.
The classic rule is that the superior one armed bandits were placed just inside the entry of the casino; so that everyone going by would see jackpot winners and be mesmerized enough to come inside and play. Our feeling is that this is not so anymore.
The majority of the large casinos nowadays are herculean complexes and now you can’t see inside from the sidewalk, so there’s no longer a reason to place the ‘loose’ slot games near to any doors.
Another traditional rule is that loose slot machines are located on the major aisles in the casinos, again so that more potential gamblers could see winning jackpots and be energized to play. Importantly however, we find that this also isn’t a universal rule any more.
What casinos found over the years is that people walking down the busy aisles were frequently on the way to somewhere else. If they played one armed bandits at all, they would simply put in their loose change because they happened to be walking by. Win or lose, they would very often not stop to keep playing. And the last thing a casino wants is for someone to win a jackpot by playing only a few coins and then not stay to put it all back in!
Nowadays, casinos are constantly changing their perspective about where to place the loose one armed bandits.